The continued support of Israel by the United States led to the 1973 Oil Embargo because the encroachment on Arab sovereignty through the strengthening of Israel instilled a sense of solidarity amongst Arab states, so that they would unite in order to impose an effective retaliation against this perceived form of imperialism.
The United State’s support of Israel led to the emergence of shared anti-American feelings in the Arab world because Israel was seen as an extension of colonialism. “Like all other parts of the Third World, the Arab region was subjected to European political, military, and economic domination” (Alnasrawi 7). The epicenter of this perceived encroachment of Arab autonomy by the West was found in the Jewish state of Israel. …show more content…
“The trigger for the embargo was a war between Israel and the Arabs, the one political issue with the potential to produce political unity among very disparate Arab governments” (Licklider “The Power” 209). The October War began when Syria and Egypt both launched attacks against Israel on October 6, 1973 (Ryan 71). The October War showed that Israel was not invincible and that “Arab capabilities had to be respected” (Licklider “Political” 213). In the October War, the Arabs were able to inflict some damage on Israel, so Sadat, the president of Egypt, declared that the war was “‘the first Arab victory in 500 years’” (“The Middle East”168). In addition to the military contributions from Syria and Egypt, the other Arab nations contributed to the war effort; “within the context of the October War, Arab oil-producing states agreed to restrict oil output and to embargo their exports to aid in the attainment of the objectives of the war” (Alnasrawi 79). To achieve this international pressure, members of the OAPEC met in Kuwait to plan to cut oil production by 5% each month until Israel stopped occupying the territories and restored the rights of the Palestinians (Al-Sowayegh 127-9; Alnasrawi 90-2). However, on October 19, 1973, during the October War, after Nixon asked congress for 2.2 billion dollars for military aid to Israel, OAPEC enacted a complete oil embargo against the United States and other pro-Israel countries (Avneri 763; Alnasrawi 90-2; Zahlan 57; Al-Sowayegh 127-9; Ryan 72). The Oil Embargo and production cutbacks “marked not only a peak in Arab unity, but also the first formal use of oil as a political weapon to pressure the industrial nations into forcing Israel to return to its pre-1967 frontiers” (“The Middle East”82). The Arab nations
The United State’s support of Israel led to the emergence of shared anti-American feelings in the Arab world because Israel was seen as an extension of colonialism. “Like all other parts of the Third World, the Arab region was subjected to European political, military, and economic domination” (Alnasrawi 7). The epicenter of this perceived encroachment of Arab autonomy by the West was found in the Jewish state of Israel. …show more content…
“The trigger for the embargo was a war between Israel and the Arabs, the one political issue with the potential to produce political unity among very disparate Arab governments” (Licklider “The Power” 209). The October War began when Syria and Egypt both launched attacks against Israel on October 6, 1973 (Ryan 71). The October War showed that Israel was not invincible and that “Arab capabilities had to be respected” (Licklider “Political” 213). In the October War, the Arabs were able to inflict some damage on Israel, so Sadat, the president of Egypt, declared that the war was “‘the first Arab victory in 500 years’” (“The Middle East”168). In addition to the military contributions from Syria and Egypt, the other Arab nations contributed to the war effort; “within the context of the October War, Arab oil-producing states agreed to restrict oil output and to embargo their exports to aid in the attainment of the objectives of the war” (Alnasrawi 79). To achieve this international pressure, members of the OAPEC met in Kuwait to plan to cut oil production by 5% each month until Israel stopped occupying the territories and restored the rights of the Palestinians (Al-Sowayegh 127-9; Alnasrawi 90-2). However, on October 19, 1973, during the October War, after Nixon asked congress for 2.2 billion dollars for military aid to Israel, OAPEC enacted a complete oil embargo against the United States and other pro-Israel countries (Avneri 763; Alnasrawi 90-2; Zahlan 57; Al-Sowayegh 127-9; Ryan 72). The Oil Embargo and production cutbacks “marked not only a peak in Arab unity, but also the first formal use of oil as a political weapon to pressure the industrial nations into forcing Israel to return to its pre-1967 frontiers” (“The Middle East”82). The Arab nations